


Runaways

by WritingforTheAvengers



Series: Runaways [1]
Category: Avengers, Black Panther - Fandom, MCU, Marvel, T'Challa - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-28
Updated: 2018-02-09
Packaged: 2019-01-25 08:34:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 20,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12527304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WritingforTheAvengers/pseuds/WritingforTheAvengers
Summary: Two heirs to the throne, running away from a blind, arranged marriage, in which one is supposed to marry the other, meet on the road by coincidence and fall in love with each other.





	1. Chapter 1

“(Y/N), my dearest daughter, there is a very important matter we need to discuss,” the King said sternly as he pointed at the chair so his daughter could sit.

The king’s office was a spacious room, with its walls covered in large sized paintings of the regnant monarchs before him and his own painting too. (Y/N) looked around her, suddenly feeling the weight of the heavy world upon her young shoulders. She knew her painting would be hung on these walls one day too and though she hoped it would be in many years more, her father’s condition was not what someone would call promising. He was a middle aged man who enjoyed too much of the vices that mankind had to offer and he took no responsibility at all for his unofficial acts. She knew the office would end up being hers, as well as the whole kingdom.

“You know, you’re my first born—”

  
“I am not your first born; I am the first one who’s not a bastard, father,” you cut him off, “there’s a difference,”

  
“Still,” he ignored her words, “to what legalities, protocols and state affairs concern, you are indeed my first born and that means something; something none of my other children has the right to have or claim,” he placed his elbows on the desk and intertwined his hands; with a heavy sigh he prepared himself to continue. “You are the next in line for the throne, (Y/N),” he looked at you with a concerned expression.

  
“That, I do know,” she nodded. “Will you just cut to the chase and tell me where is this conversation heading to? I happen to be a busy person myself,”

  
“The law won’t let you reign on your own; that is without a husband,” he threw the bomb. “You are the first female first-born the family has had in over two centuries—”

“May I ask whose fault is it, father?” The young princess rose her voice. “Mama was patient enough to cope with you all these years and it was you who had the bastards, not her,” her nostrils fluttered with the dormant anger from all these years. “While you are still the king, you can might as well change the law to help your only heir,” (Y/N) sighed heavily and leaned her back on the chair.

  
“I WILL NOT GO AGAINST OUR CONSITUTION BECAUSE MY MOST IMPORTANT CHILD WANTS ME TO!” The King rose from his seat and (Y/N) felt a chill running down her spine. She held on to the seat tightly enough to make her knuckles whiten. “(Y/N), you don’t understand, do you? The constitution wasn’t made by me, therefore the laws aren’t either,” he sat again and grabbed his head tightly. “You must get married to the man I’ve chosen for you, he’s a future king from an African nation and the two kingdoms can do many great things together; his name is T’Challa and—”

  
“Father,” (Y/N) cut him off with a still quivering voice, “I am not marrying a man I don’t know. The women before me may have,” she sighed, realizing what her words would bring to the family and to the country, “but I am not them, and this is the 21st century,” she rose from her chair and felt completely empowered and sure of her next words. “Why don’t you ask the true first born, who happens to be a man, to fulfill the duties you are imposing me? I am nothing but your youngest daughter; it is unconstitutional of you to ask this to me,” and turning on her heels, (Y/N) headed to the door and to her freedom. “I believe we have nothing else to discuss, father” she stopped before the door, looked at her father, and then lightly bowed her head before exiting.

  
Inside her head, she was already making up the plans on her escape. It would be that same night, when people inside the palace were fast asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two heirs to the throne, running away from a blind, arranged marriage, in which one is supposed to marry the other, meet on the road by coincidence and fall in love with each other.

When King T’Chaka called for his son, he did not realize how heavy his heart was at the news he had to give the prince. It was the first time that a future monarch was unmarried at such old age; there was no lady in the kingdom suitable for him and therefore, he had to marry to a woman outside the walls of Wakanda. King T’Chaka and Queen Ramonda found the one, and her parents were in agreement with the idea, but would the future king be as well? 

He looked at the paintings of the kings and queens before him and looked at his own last one with a slight feeling of nostalgia; it was next to his first one, the one that included his late first wife and mother of the young man that would inherit the kingdom once he passed away. But his son was a lone wolf and every relationship he had did not last long enough to become a marriage, let alone an engagement; that put the future of the kingdom at stake and made the further days darker and unsure.

“You asked to see me, father?” Prince T’Challa bowed before his father and was welcomed to have a seat. “You seem a bit worried, what troubles you?”

“The truth is, my son, that your situation worries me,” the king pursed his lips and continued. “Your relationship with Nakia, unfortunately, never blossomed and though not compulsory, every king needs a queen,”

“But am I only a prince,” T’Challa smiled. “I still am, and I pretend to be the prince for a very, very long time!” He laughed. “You are a great king, father, let’s not spoil your legacy,” 

“I am old, T’Challa,” the king reminded his son.

“I dare say you’re becoming younger each day, father,” T’Challa chimed in.

“My hair is turning white and I am not as strong as I used to be,” King T’Chaka continued as if his son never interrupted. “You, however, are in the perfect age to settle down, have children, and be the next king. Wakanda needs another Black Panther, and another king,” his words though heavy, were said in the kindest voice. Wakanda meant a great deal for the older man and he only wanted the best for his the people.

“Where is this talk headed to, father?” T’Challa chuckled lightly, feeling quite amused by his father’s suspenseful and intriguing speech about the future.

“You need a wife, T’Challa,” the king finally said. “And with Queen Ramonda, we have found her; (Y/N) is also a future queen, and her with her father, we believe that we can do many great things if our families are to unite. Our nations would be very prosperous; they have a lot of things to commerce and we have some more to offer,” the older man sighed.

“I can reign without a wife, it is in our beloved constitution, remember?” The younger man said in a smug voice. “I’ve studied it enough to know what I can and cannot do, so there’s no use in getting a wife for purposes that won’t concern me,” he shrugged.

“What about the future of our nation?” The current king asked. “Are you planning on leaving our Wakanda without a future monarch and a future Black Panther?”

“The nation can be taken care of by the Dora Milaje, they do a pretty good job without the panther’s intervention,” the prince was losing patience; he had been harassed with the topic in many occasions and his answer had remained the same. “And what if the people doesn’t want another king? What if they want to choose whom they want to rule them?”

“The people has had many occasions to decide, Mr. Smart-pants,” the king said, and although his voice was always calmed, behind his façade he hid the desire to punch his son in the face.

“I refuse to marry until I find a suitable woman for myself; my heart should be guided by myself, not by you or anyone else,” T’Challa stood up from his chair and walked over to the door; he reverenced before leaving. 

He headed rather quickly back to his bedchamber and started packing enough things for a runaway. It would take place in the dead of that same night.


	3. Chapter 3

Without saying goodbye, both future monarchs left their respective homes and hit the road looking for new opportunities at love and life. Their kingdoms would suffer their disappearing, but none of them wanted to leave forever; they would return when the moment felt right, when their lives had come to a point of certainty, not before.  
(Y/N) drove for hours, not even feeling the exhaustion on her tensed muscles of her hand, clung tightly onto the steering wheel. She thought of her father’s actions throughout the years and how she had managed to be the only child of the official marriage even though she was indeed the last one. Her mother had endured enough of him, but the young, soon-to-be princess believed with all her heart that the queen had died of a broken heart. The Queen Mother had never loved any other man but her husband; it was a pity that her husband didn’t love her just as much.

  
In her case, her father’s real first born could take her place if the parliament allowed it, and it was a sure bet that the people would rise before they saw a bastard sitting on the throne; she had quite a character and the people loved her for that. They, knew her story and her family’s story, and if she got to the throne, she would probably be the greatest monarch the kingdom had seen in years. The king was old and blinded by many vices and many women; (Y/N)’s heart instead, was pure and still untainted.  
T’Challa knew the consequences of his acts. His younger sister couldn’t be the queen because she didn’t have the age nor the knowledge to do so. She was still training to become a part of the Dora Milaje and even when her training finished, she would take that path rather than the royal one, because everyone knew she was meant for that position in the all-female army; the fiercest in the entire world, whereas T’Challa would take up the duties of both king and the ancient warrior of Wakanda: the Black Panther.  
For weeks, the two runaway royal highnesses drove away from their respective homes, not realizing that fate was about to set things so they could meet at some point in the road. Although they carried with them their identities and documents, they still repeated their fake stories out loud in the loneliness of their cars, accompanied only by the music that filled their ears, hours and silences. They had everything planned in case they met people other than receptionists; their kingdoms were still unknown to the public eye, so no questions would be asked.

  
They stopped at various roadside hotels, unaware of the funny tricks of destiny and how its threads were about to join them together in a knot that wouldn’t be easy to unmake. (Y/N) and T’Challa stopped in a small town and decided to rest for a couple of days, they both had been driving more than they’d been sleeping and so they needed a real bed to lay on.

  
T’Challa parked next to a pitch-black Mercedes SUV and felt a bit of self-pity when he saw who drove. A young woman, the most stylish one he had ever seen in his life; Ray-ban shades, a turquoise blazer, a white shirt underneath it and black heels that matched her black skinny jeans. He felt dazzled by a beauty like that. Not like he wasn’t a man of style himself, but the women he knew wore drapes, tunics and body armors.

  
“Hello, do you have an available room with a single bed, please?” T’Challa overheard a woman near him. Her voice, apart from being quite friendly, sounded different than any other voice he had ever heard these last couple of weeks or in his whole life; a different accent and different melody, altogether it was like music. By her looks he realized it was the same driver from the SUV; her figure looked so majestic that he only realized he was staring at her when she cut him off. “Hey, I am actually not a painting for you to stare at, okay?” She said in an unfriendly voice; T’Challa chuckled lightly and turned his head away, back at the receptionist who handed him a key to his room.

  
“I’m sorry,” the undercover prince apologized, “I didn’t mean to stare,” he rose his palms in a surrendering manner.

  
The woman walked by, with her key in her perfectly manicured hands and stopped next to him. She grabbed his arm with far too much strength for a normal person and said to his ear. “If I were you, I wouldn’t mess with me, darling,” she moved away and smiled as if those words never happened. She started walking again and intentionally bumped into him with her shoulder. T’Challa observed her as she made her way to the stairs and followed her because he was going the same way.  
(Y/N) looked over her shoulder and saw the impertinent idiot following her steps with that shit eating grin she apparently hated so much. She turned on the hallway and walked over to her door and he was still there, on the door next to hers.

  
“Okay, you’re really freaking me out, what is it?” She spat; fearing it would be one of her father’s men trying to find her and bring her back. “Why on earth are you following me? Do you know me?”

  
“Excuse me?” T’Challa furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “We… just met downstairs,” he said in a plain voice, “at the reception,” he pointed at the floor with his finger, “and this actually happens to be my room,” he wiggled the key.

  
“I already told you, don’t mess with me,” she warned. With two turns of the key, the door flew open and it closed with a slam after she got inside. T’Challa smiled in amusement as he got inside his room.

  
Little did they know who they had just met; at least they seemed to not get along. That arranged marriage wouldn’t have been a good one either way.


	4. Chapter 4

It was quite late and (Y/N) had just finished unpacking her few belongings. She was sitting on the edge of the pool, dangling her feet in the water and pressing her newly-acquired phone right next to her ear. She needed some relief after a long day of driving and an awkward meeting.

  
“… Do you know if there’s anyone looking out for me?”

  
That was the first thing T’Challa heard; it seemed like overhearing her had become a habit. He was in need of some time to really think of what he was doing and water always seemed like a good idea. Back at his palace, he could stay by the pool for hours just to clear his thoughts, but that night the pool was not as empty as he would have preferred.

“Alexei, can’t you just convince him of the age right instead of the birth right? I am not ready to take over—I know, I wish things would have been different too, but they were not, and you’re still older than me, you know?” She giggled, but T’Challa knew right away it was bullshit. “Try to convince him, tell him how many people will want his old, bald head if he keep his decision… I love you too, old child, stay safe,”

(Y/N) stood up and looked around her, the man was not in the pool or anywhere near, so she kept walking until someone called for her attention. (Y/N) saw the dark complexioned man coming at her, holding two cans of Coca-Cola in his hands.

“Hey,” T’Challa said doubtingly, handing one of the cans to her. “I would really like to apologize for what happened earlier; I didn’t mean to stare or make you feel uncomfortable in any way… So, I’m very, very sorry,” he bowed his head lightly and smiled.

“Oh, don’t worry, it’s okay,” she shook her head lightly, accepting the can and skilfully opening it. “I have to admit that I kinda over reacted,” she shrugged.

“I—I’m Chadwick by the way,” he flashed a smile and had a sip. “Chadwick Boseman, very nice to meet you…?”

“I’m Blair,” she smiled nervously as she opened the can and had a sip too, “Blair Waldorf,” she nodded her head lightly.

“So, Blair, is everything okay?” T’Challa asked. “I didn’t mean to, but I kind of overheard you talking on the phone and you seemed to be a bit uneasy, all good?”

“Yeah,” she sighed, “I was just talking to my butler—” she stopped immediately when she realized she said butler instead of friend. Alexei wasn’t exactly her butler’s name, but her oldest brother’s instead. “Uhh…” she bit her bottom lip. He was the true heir to the throne, merely by the right of age, and even though (Y/N)’s mother was quite fond of the child and helped to raise him as if he was her own, she never agreed to make him a member of the royal family. To the kingdom, he was a bastard with many privileges, but to the family, he was a dear son. For (Y/N), he was the most important man and she could trust him with anything that could ever trouble her.

“Waldorf? A butler? Wow, you sound quite expensive,” he chuckled. “Do I have to pay royalties for talking to you or something?”

“What? No!” (Y/N) laughed along with him. “Papa just happens to be very rich and fond of commodities that the normal people would find quite odd,” she replied. “He also happens to believe in employment kind of? Well, that among other things,” she said, almost to herself. “So, Chadwick, do you have butlers, servants and all that, or is it just me the rich one?”

“I have a nana,” he replied, “she’s been with me for a while now,” he remembered his step mother, Queen Ramonda, who was like a mother to him. She arrived into the prince’s life when he was 6, his mother had died while giving birth to him, and in Ramonda everyone seemed to find love; Prince T’Challa included. “The water is nice,” he smiled, “do you have a bathing suit on?”

“Oh golly, no. I didn’t bring one,” (Y/N) pouted, “but I don’t mind swimming in my underwear, if it’s okay with you, of course…”

“At all,” the prince extended his hand and waited for (Y/N) to lead the way back to the pool.

(Y/N) stopped near a chair and started undressing herself. Her black underwear would make it less a problem when it got wet, and as she entered the pool, T’Challa felt like inside a dream. The way her hips swayed, the way she dived just to come out a few meters after, the way the droplets lingered on her pristine skin and the way she smiled as she pulled her hair back and looked at him. He had to shake himself to stop dreaming about her.

“You’re staring at me again,” (Y/N) kindly scolded her new acquaintance. “I know, I know,” she said before T’Challa could apologize, “I will let this one pass, but only because I’ll admit I was totally and unapologetically watching you while you were getting undressed. Were you in the army or what? You look like you’re really trained… and you have a scar over there,” he pointed at his chest, right under his collarbone.

“Kind of,” T’Challa tilted his head to both side, “how long are you staying here?”

“A couple of days, no more than that,” (Y/N) smiled. “I’ve been driving more than I’ve been sleeping so I need the bed,” she giggled, and T’Challa noticed the difference from the first time he heard her giggling. This one sounded real and relaxed. She was immediately at ease with him. “What about you?”

“Don’t give me a weird look, but I’m in that exact same situation,” T’Challa retorted. “I’m on a self-discovery journey and apparently I have to rediscover my bottom again,” he shrugged. “So, where do you come from? And how did you become so rich? If… you don’t mind me asking,”  
Even though (Y/N) had rehearsed her story several times, it took her a few seconds to start it; she had never said it to anyone else but herself and in the privacy of her car. What if a member of the hotel’s staff heard her and started asking questions about her true identity?

“Well,” she carefully started threading the words in her mind, “I’m from a very small country, we only have one big-ish city and very small towns around it,” she moved her hand in a circular motion; with a heavy sigh, she continued. “The thing is that my family; well, my ancestors really, they colonized the land and they started working it, until the more recent generations created banks, industries and all that,” she said, trying to be as specifically vague as possible. No location, no time and no real information. “What about you? Where does your self-discovery journey begins?”

“Africa,” he said with a smile on his face, “my father wants me to take care of the… family business but I’m not very inclined to do so,” T’Challa shrugged carelessly. “Truth is, I hate all things related to the business my family happens to own, and I’m not very good with people in general,”

The conversation flowed so naturally that it was hard to believe it was all pure lies. They stayed in the pool until their skins were wrinkly. T’Challa helped (Y/N) getting out and they dried themselves with the towels the hotel had outside on the chairs. The vague details they gave on their lives didn’t lead anywhere and it was just what they needed; no further questions were made and they walked together back to their rooms.

“It was very nice to meet you, Blair,” T’Challa bowed his head lightly as he awaited for her to get inside. Before she did, she stepped on the tip of her toes and gently kissed his cheek.

  
“Nice to meet you too,” she nervously said and swiftly closed the door behind her.


	5. Chapter 5

While on his way for breakfast, T’Challa spotted (Y/N) walking towards the front desk. She carried her bag in her hand and a man with a suitcase walked beside her. She carelessly turned around and saw him; she waved softly at him and turned again at the receptionist. The prince walked towards her.

“You’re leaving already?” He asked with a taint of discontent in his voice.

“I gotta get going,” she tilted her head to the side and gave him an almost apologetic smile. “Sorry,” she bit her bottom lip and giggled. “Are you staying here a little more?”

“Do you need the money?—Cuz I can pay your room for a few days more—"

“No—no!” (Y/N) shook her head. “It’s just that, I don’t really wanna stay here much longer,” she shrugged.

“Going back home?”

“No—not really,” she replied. “I’m just gonna go somewhere else, I’d like to keep moving,” she pursed her lips. “Oh, before I forget,” she took one of the cards and the pens from the desk and wrote a few notes in there and handed it to T’Challa, “this is my number, call me one of these days and let’s see if we’re near; we could definitely meet up and have something,” she smiled, wishing it were true; wishing it was him she could be married to instead of the so-called prince her father ordered her to. At least the man she knew by Chadwick seemed much more appropriate for her and they seemed to get on quite well. “Take care, Chadwick, it was very nice to meet you,” she sighed heavily, trying to let go of the thought. “I do hope to see you again,”

“Take care you too, Blair,” T’Challa placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and smiled. He wished his father met this woman; she was perfect for the future queen position.  
Without further delay, she got on her car and drove away. She turned the music on, as loud as her ears could stand and drove for many hours. When she was not thinking about home and her many siblings, she thought of Chadwick, the dark complexioned man seemed interesting enough to be her husband. Little did she know who this man really was...

For about three months, (Y/N) travelled around the world with limitless funds until she found herself in Paris, the city of love and romance, but being completely by herself. She left her old car behind and drove a rented one for as long as she stayed in wherever she was. Often, she would text and chat with Chadwick, until the two realized they were in the same place. They agreed to meet for breakfast the following morning and at 9, at the famous Café de Flore, the two highnesses arrived. (Y/N) spotted T’Challa from afar and waved at him, once she made sure he really saw her, she ran towards him and held on to him tightly, feeling as if she hadn’t seen a most dear friend in many years.

“So, where are you staying at?” He asked, leaving his croissant on the plate again.

“I’m at the Park Hyatt,” (Y/N) replied, “just a couple of blocks from here—”

“What? A couple of blocks you say? Like 20 blocks, if not more!” T’Challa opened his eyes widely. “Isn’t that like two kilometers?”

“I like a nice, long and peaceful walk, okay?” She laughed in defense. “Besides, I actually haven’t been in Paris for so long that I truly missed it here,”

“Oh, did you come here with the Waldorf family?” T’Challa asked. “Don’t tell me, you stayed at an even fancier hotel, maybe the Shangri La?"

“What is that supposed to mean? You have money too,” (Y/N) gave him a quick nod and leaned on the chair’s back and folded her arms on her chest. “Remember you said your father wanted you to take care of the family business?” She slightly tilted her head. “I imagine the Bosemans must be quite rich too, if you were the one to ask me to meet here,” she propped her elbow on the table and leaned her body forward, placing her head on her hand, “unless I got this all damn wrong and you expected me to pay for you?” She asked in nonchalance as she rose an eyebrow. T’Challa looked away for a second and then focused his dark eyes on her again.

A bubbly giggle escaped his lips and shaking his head, he said: “You are a true wonder, Blair,” T’Challa was now beyond pleased. “Are you a private investigator or something?”

“It was a dream of mine; well, one of many,” she smiled, “but daddy said it was not a suitable job for a little lady like myself and mommy wasn’t there to try and convince him otherwise, so… I never really pursued it afterwards; what I did pursue was economy and politics, real fun,” she rolled her eyes. “What about you?”

“I voluntarily spent some time in the military, the good times,” T’Challa admitted, “and after that, I went for business—I mean, I was taken to study so I could take care of the family business when the time is right,” he shrugged. “So, what do we do now?”

“Let’s pay and head off somewhere else,” she said. “The Louvre is not so far from here I think,”

The two royal highnesses spent some more days in Paris. The night before (Y/N) left, she and T’Challa were coming back to her hotel from the movies. Somewhere in downtown Paris, there was an exhibition of old, romantic movies, which they had attended; the mood was perfect for romance but their hearts only searched for someone to talk to with all honesty. Unbeknownst to them, they were the right person to let out all of their feelings.

“So, you’re thinking of leaving again, or you’re actually leaving?” T’Challa asked, keeping his hands in the pockets of his jeans. The night was chilly and he had already placed his vest on (Y/N)’s shoulders.

“Yeah, bit of both,” (Y/N) sighed in exhaustion, for the day had been quite long and now she didn’t want to leave neither Paris nor him, and so she held on tightly to his piece of garment, “I gotta get going,”

“You said that exact same thing the first time we met,” T’Challa remembered. “So, maybe… and just maybe you don’t have to get going,”

“Yeah, I wish but… I kinda do,” she bit her bottom lip and looked away. “It’s hard to understand, but I really must keep going. I’m afraid this journey is nowhere near the ending,”

“I have the feeling you’re not telling me the whole truth, Blair,” T’Challa narrowed his eyes in a suspicious look. “Care to share?”

“Truth is…” she sighed, “I am running from home because I am afraid of what taking care of business means,” she bit her bottom lip. “I know the basics, and I know the people I’m supposed to work with but… I have some big ass shoes to fill,” (Y/N) stopped walking; T’Challa continued a few steps further, and once he noticed she was missing, he turned around and gently placed his hands on her shoulders and looked at her with worried eyes. “I’m scared that I won’t be as good as him, as my father,” she said with a trembling voice and looking down to the floor.

“You’ll be just fine,” T’Challa pulled her closer to his chest and wrapped his strong arms around her. It had been a while ever since he had held another person, and truth being told, he had wanted to hold her closely for quite a long time. It wasn’t love, at least, he didn’t believe it to be love, but some sort of teenage crush every time he thought of Blair. “Hey,” he cupped her face and made her look up at him when he heard the soft sobs that came from her, “you’ll do great,” they stayed in silence for eternal minutes; their breaths turned into erratic but silent gasps of air. (Y/N) closed her eyes, unsure of what would happen next, but T’Challa only pulled her closer to his chest, wrapping his arms around her torso and stayed there in silence. He heard her sighing, and realized she was feeling at least less miserable now. “Don’t worry about the future, at least… not now. You’re safe, as long as you stay with me,” he smiled gently and kissed the top of her head. “Come on,” he offered his hand to her, “let’s get you to your room,” he gently tugged her arm and made her walk towards him. “Let’s have something nice from the mini bar and order some room service, and maybe, just maybe, let’s get drunk,”

“Okay,” (Y/N) chuckled breathily, wiping her cheek with the back of her hand and holding on tightly to T’Challa’s arm. “Thank you Chadwick,”

When the new day announced its arrival with bright rays of sunshine, it found (Y/N) and T’Challa lying on the bed next to one another. (Y/N) was the first to wake up, and her heart skipped a beat when she saw him peacefully lying next to her in last night’s clothes. He faced the opposite side, and as she got up, he groaned and kept in slumber.  
T’Challa only woke up when he heard the water running in a room not far from where he was; looking around him he found a tray with things to eat and drink and figured out that it was still time for breakfast. He helped himself with coffee.

“Oh, you’re awake!” (Y/N) gleefully said as she made her way towards the tray with tiny little macaroons. She munched one while fixing the towel that wrapped her body. “I thought you were dead,”

“So… you’re getting ready for today’s flight, right?”

“Yeah, but it’s a late one, I’m going to the States to do something fun stuff and then I’ll probably head off to the Caribbean or Polynesia and lay low there until I figure out what to do next, I don’t know,” she shrugged.

“Well, then go get dressed while I get a quick shower, Blair, because you and I, are going to have one amazing last day together,” T’Challa and (Y/N) smiled widely in excitement.

T’Challa went with (Y/N) to the airport, wishing to tell her to stay. She had been the best thing that happened to him in the last time and he wished to keep her for longer. He wasn’t sure of what he felt, but he surely to discover that. Even though his feelings were sustained by mostly lies, he was sure that whatever he felt deep inside, was not a lie.

“Chadwick,” (Y/N) said, looking at the suitcase that he held on to tightly, “I’m gonna need that,” the ‘last call’ announcement was already made. “Come on, give it to me!” She pouted. “I’m gonna lose the plane, come on!”

“Stay with me,” he urged, not loosening the grip on her suitcase. “There are still too many things we haven’t done in France yet—we haven’t been to Versailles, for example,”

“Come on man,” she said almost in a nervous laughter, “I’m seriously gonna kick your butt if you don’t give it to me now,”

“Come on, stay,” he sighed. And before he could tell or react, (Y/N) had the suitcase in her hands and ran hurriedly towards the boarding gate.

“Meet me in Vegas!” She yelled from her shoulder as she crossed the gates; this was the last time she saw him, or at least, that she thought she would see him.

The flight was long, and the days that she stayed in Las Vegas were long enough to make her forget the one thing she told Chadwick. She walked around town to get some fresh, gambling air, but not to gamble herself, for she didn’t know how to; she only found amusing the fever that consumed almost everyone. She could tell a foreigner or a stranger to the place, being one herself, so she noticed how people turned into their maddest selves in the so called, city of sin.  
When she came back to the hotel after a few weeks of staying in the city, one of the receptionists caught her attention with a wavering hand. (Y/N) walked closer to the desk in astonishment, fearing of course, the worst.

“Miss Waldorf, you got a message while you were out,” the woman behind the wooden desk handed her a paper. “And the things you ordered earlier are already waiting for you in your room and put inside the closet, if you needed something, please, do not hesitate in phoning us and we’ll get things fixed for you,” the receptionist, whose name tag read Sophia, smiled sweetly, “and do enjoy the rest of the day,”

“Thank you, Sophia” (Y/N) nodded her head swiftly and headed to the elevators of the hotel to see her room with the new clothing she had ordered. She shoved the note on her jacket’s pocket and forgot about it for a minute.

She examined the clothes on the bed and hung them in the closet. Heading for the bathroom, she decided to take a short shower before going out, and as the water ran, a tiny piece of paper fell from the jacket she didn’t take off in the room. She took it and it read:

 _“You didn’t tell me where you would be, and you weren’t answering your phone either, so I had to find you by all means possible. How about we go to Red Rock Canyon? Maybe not tomorrow, because tonight I want to have a few drinks with you, just like we did in Paris. Give me a call when you get this._  
_Love, Chadwick.”_

(Y/N) smiled to herself and finished getting undressed; luckily she had bought a dress for later that night.

The next morning, she got herself ready with the most casual clothing she could find until her phone rang and she finally heard it. Finally, it was the man she wanted to hear from. Even though they had seen each other the night before, he still lingered in her thoughts as he had done ever since they parted ways in Paris. As the moment of meeting again was closer and closer, and as her phone rang relentlessly, she could feel the butterflies flying inside her stomach, making her knees weak and her voice childishly nervous.

It took a while for T’Challa to get to Vegas, a few days at least; he wasn’t even sure she wanted him there even though (Y/N) explicitly told him to meet her there. Once he did get to town and checked himself into a hotel, he searched far and wide for her. He was feeling something he was not sure he could, especially with the time being. He knew he had to come back home eventually to meet and get married to the princess, but decided to enjoy himself for as long as the adventure would take. If he ended up accepting his blossoming feelings for (Y/N), he’d take her home as his wife and fulfill his royal duty.  
They went out repeatedly, until it was the time to go to say goodbye to Vegas. They traveled and stayed together for more weeks until these turned into months and they ended up in Hawaii. They were at the beach, staring at the sunset and sitting near each other on the sand. They were silent, but there weren’t many things to say. They enjoyed each other’s company and they loved being around each other as much as they knew they loved each other.

T’Challa observed (Y/N), who sat just a bit forward, noticing the tiny beauty marks on her shoulders and the way her torso moved whenever she took a deep breath. He smiled to himself, knowing for sure that this was the woman he wanted for the rest of his life.

“Guess what? You’re staring at me again, Chadwick,” (Y/N) said absentmindedly; she didn’t even need to turn her head to know that his focus on the sun was lost long ago. T’Challa chuckled breathily, totally busted. “I know you have, for a while. I can feel it,”

“Sorry,” he hurried to add, “I didn’t mean to,”

“I know that too,”

“You seem to know a lot of things lately, Blair,” T’Challa commented. “What else do you know?”

“I know that you like me, of course,” (Y/N) said from over her shoulder and smiled lightly. Even with his shades on, she knew T’Challa was trying to look away. She turned her head away rather quickly, giving him the time to say something, but when she noticed he didn’t say anything, she added. “I like you back, Chadwick, in case you didn’t notice,” she sighed heavily and propped herself with her hands to sit next to him. T’Challa was tongue tied; even though it was a dream come true, never in his wildest ones he would have believed that she could love him back. “I bet you had no freaking clue about it, right?” She gave him a side eye and chuckled lightly. “So… what do we do now?”

“We stay together,” T’Challa said, timidly searching for (Y/N)’s hand and holding it gently. “This is nice, isn’t it?”

“Indeed it is,” she replied happily, thumbing the veins on the back of T’Challa’s hand.


	6. Chapter 6

Back in firm land, they decided to lay low in Barcelona. It was summer and the weather was nice enough for them to go out and about to the beaches near the city. They walked together, holding hands like two teenagers, buying every little thing that the street vendors had to offer; from sea shell bracelets, to the most extraordinary food they could find. If someone would have told any of them that they would fall in love with the person they were supposed to get married to, they wouldn’t have bought any of it, but there they were, falling head over heels for each other.

  
The physical part was still an issue, T’Challa was accustomed with Nakia to have her at reach and she was always eager for some PDA, but his Blair was different; she was always worried, just as if someone was behind her and trying to get her. Now, although he wanted to kiss her and probably make love to her, he was not impatient. Good things took time, he repeated himself, just like his father used to.

He often thought about (Y/N), the woman who was supposed to be his wife, and what was her life like. He knew she was the daughter of an old king, just like his own father, but from King T’Chaka’s words, the man was not a very good one. He had a few women outside the marriage and more children than fingers, therefore (Y/N) was supposed to save the kingdom with the ceremony, and perhaps, she could save her own life too.

But he was no savior. He couldn’t even save one of the things he cherished the most from blowing up into million pieces; he couldn’t save the thing he had with Nakia and make it blossom into marriage. No, he was definitely not a savior, but he knew that he was being saved right now by Blair and her multiple charms.

“What are you thinking about?” She said as they sat on the beach, watching the sun go down and people leave. “You seem more thoughtful today,” she tugged at T’Challa’s arm and looked up at him. “Is everything alright darling?”

He looked down to her, smiling weakly and shaking his head and thoughts. He looked at the sun again, feeling the warmth all over his body. “Everything’s fine,” he said simply, not wanting to go further beyond; he wasn’t really good at expressing his feelings, and especially when those ones couldn’t be covered by a lie.

“When you’re ready… you can tell me,” she leaned her head on his bicep and stayed in silence.

T’Challa doubted if to tell her the truth about who he really was; Chadwick was a good man and a great cover, but he couldn’t base a relationship in a lie, especially when she was being completely honest about her life. He was completely in love with her and there was no turning back.

More than once, he was tempted to call Nakia or Shuri, his younger half-sister; she was probably the one who missed him the most. Even though the young princess was never meant for the throne, she surely had some weight over her shoulders. She was trained by the fiercest women, therefore, the youngest member of the royal family was meant to be someone important too. A member of the Dora Milaje, one of the strongest armies in the entire world.

With time, she became afraid of different things, but the one that T’Challa cherished the most, was when a five year old Shuri was afraid of the dark. She sneaked to his dorm and tugged at his arm and he’d welcome her for many nights, until her fears changed, and at the age of 15, when their father decided to send her to train for the Dora Milaje. T’Challa remembered quite well her tears of pure fear right before she was sent away.

“Do you have any siblings?” T’Challa asked, breaking the terrible silence.

“Uhh—yeah, I do,” (Y/N) nodded carelessly.

“Older or younger?”

“Both, but most of them are older,” she replied. “Do you, darling?”

“Yeah,” T’Challa replied with a slight smile curling on his lips, “I have a young sister; she’s the apple of my eyes,” with a soft chuckle, he carried on. “She’s my baby, and even when she’s 40 she will be my baby. Do you get along with them?”

“I don’t really get to see them very often,” (Y/N) shrugged. “Only one lives with me, and that’s Alexei, he’s—” she bit her bottom lip trying to find the words—“I can’t even begin to describe him,” she slurped form her milkshake and smiled. “He’s this old man in the body of a young man, and I remember when I was little, my mom had passed quite recently he would take out and buy me ice cream, and then he’d give me a piggyback ride back home,” she laughed at the remembrance. “He was so indulgent, it was terrible, I blame him for making me so defenseless… and what about your sister?”

The two young royal highnesses exchanged their families’ stories until it was late and the café they stayed at nicely asked them to leave. They held hands and walked together back to their hotel.

“You know,” T’Challa said, “I wish I’d met you earlier, things would’ve been so different,”

“My mom used to say that in life, we meet the right people in the worst of moments and these people make them better,” (Y/N) looked up at him, “and I never really believed that until I met you, you’ve made things so much better,”

“I love you, you know that?” (Y/N) looked away, blushing. T’Challa placed a soft kiss on her forehead. “I really do, Blair,”


	7. Chapter 7

It was foolish for (Y/N) to think that she was not in love; she was undoubtedly falling for a man whose identity was not real. She knew she shouldn’t, because the duties of the future queen did not include falling in love for strangers or escaping; she even had the letter written for when a goodbye wouldn’t come out from her lips and she’d have to run away again. The letter was well hidden inside her bag, a bag she didn’t leave alone for a second, and she could have slept with it, she might have done it.

She looked out at the horizon as she held her cup of coffee close to her chest; thoughtfully wondering and pondering about the future of her nation, which was so small that it didn’t hit the papers or TV, so any possible news about a change in legislation would have to come through her brother, Alexei. She often wondered about the many what ifs of an eventual change in the law, what it would mean to her if the law changed in her favor. First, she would probably go back home immediately, but not alone; she would take Chadwick with her and marry him. She’d finally be free.

“Blair… Blair?” T’Challa said, taking (Y/N) out of her thoughts, “wait, are you even listening to me?”

“I’m sorry, love,” (Y/N) apologetically admitted with a slight smile curving on her lips, “I was actually not,” she smiled in a childish manner. “What were you saying again?”

“I was wondering if you wanted to go out,” he said in a calmed voice, “I heard people talking about a huge festival that’s taking place from tonight until a few nights more, it’s like a carnival I think,” T’Challa shrugged. “It’s because we’re in the end of summer and they’re welcoming the colder months or something like that, I’m still not that good at Spanish as you are,”

“That’d be nice,” (Y/N) sighed in compliance. “Does it start tonight?”

“I just said that—Blair, is everything alright?” T’Challa changed the topic out of a sudden. “I think we switched the absentness, now it’s you who’s acting and looking totally lost sometimes,” T’Challa rose an inquisitive eyebrow. “I feel like you’re hiding something,”

“Chadwick, honey,” (Y/N) stammered, “I’m just—never mind, I’m alright,” she shook her head and sighed heavily. “What?” She asked back, once she saw her loved looking at her with an arisen brow.

“Sometimes I think of you as an open book,” he folded his muscular arms over his chest, “and you act like it and you tell me things that anyone would consider personal, and we’re fine and it’s all fine,” the prince moved his hand casually as he spoke, “but there are other times, just like right now, in which you’re an impenetrable fort. I see you, but I don’t think I know you at times,”

“You’re being so dramatic right now, and a bit of an idiot,” (Y/N) rolled her eyes in irritation.

“And you’re being completely evasive,” he shot back with a shit eating grin on his face, “and that’s a real shocker, right?”

“Are we really going to fight for such a ridiculous thing?” The young princess asked in an unfriendly voice. “Because if so I’d rather just get out of here like right now, and go have a nice, long walk on my own,” (Y/N) grabbed her beloved bag and her cardigan, and stopped in front of the door. “We’ll talk when you stop acting like a dick; I honestly hope that happens real soon, darling,” she smiled rudely, and without further words, she slammed the door behind her.

She was frustrated, irritated and overall furious; not with T’Challa exactly, even if she thought he was acting like a complete idiot, but instead, she was angry at herself for breaking so easily. It was not very queen-like to let someone see through her with such ease, and if she was planning to become the future queen, she had to toughen up.  
People around her danced to no music at all and they all seemed so happy that she felt too out of place to stay there for much longer. She headed to the beach that was a few blocks from their hotel, feeling relieved to people left the sand almost in a hurry; she sat in front of the sea, listening to the seagulls, the waves and her own heartbeat; she knew it was too late to leave T’Challa, and too late to tell him the truth without hurting him.

Out of a sudden, her phone started vibrating on her pocket. She sighed heavily when she saw the name of her brother on the screen.

“What do you want?” She said shortly.

“ _Whoa, that was nice. Anyway, you won’t believe this, dad’s been getting a lot of calls and having a lot of meetings lately, and when he finished either he’s always very stressed out, more than usual_ ,”

“That doesn’t tell me anything, Alexei,” the young princess rolled her eyes.

“ _This means that maybe, they are planning to change the law_ ,” (Y/N) stayed in silence for eternal seconds at the tiny possibility of freedom. “ _Are you still there?_ ”

“Y—yes,” she stuttered. “I’m still here, so… do you think they will make you the king?”

“ _I wouldn’t be so sure,_ ” he hesitated. “ _I’m still not liked by the public, but it surely looks like as if they are changing it on your favor, maybe you won’t have to get married,_ ”

“Well, that doesn’t solve the problem, but it does help a lot,” (Y/N) sighed heavily. “I still don’t know if I’m going back, Alexei…”

“ _Are you okay? I know we’re on the phone but I think I know you more than you choose to believe,_ ”

“I just… I don’t know, I had a fight with someone… the guy I met… we had a fight,”

“ _You’re still with him…_ ”

“I love him, god, I didn’t think it was possible but I do—He’s, he’s great and I’m pretty damned sure he loves me too, he’s been coping with me this whole time and I haven’t been easy, and before you ask, no—he doesn’t know who I truly am, and it sucks,”

“ _Did you finish?_ ” Alexei asked. “ _We have some bigger problems than a young crush here, as long as you don’t involve yourself too much with that guy, you can fool around as much as you want, just try to keep your distance, enough bastards we have in the kingdom for you, the most cherished child, to bring yet another one,_ ”

“God, you can be a real pain in the ass sometimes, and no, I will not let it get all personal. Let me know any news about the meetings, and stay safe, okay? I love you,” she shoved her phone back in her bag and stayed there in silence, feeling the chill breeze caress her body. Before leaving, she took the goodbye letter in her hands and ripped it into tiny pieces which were later thrown to the sea. At least, no one would ever know what those words said.

It wasn’t until some more hours that (Y/N) came back to the hotel. Chadwick was not there, but with a quick glance around the room she realized his things were still right where he had left them. She slid into one of his shirts that were too big for her and turned on the TV to keep her company, but she fell asleep just minutes later.  
In the middle of her TV induced nap, she heard the door and saw Chadwick walking into the room again. She smiled weakly at him and he waved his hand at her.

“I’m sorry—” they said at unison.

“Wait, me first,” (Y/N) shook her head and sat with her legs crossed on the bed. “I know I’ve been acting weird but it’s not because I’ve been hiding things, it’s not what you think. It’s because I don’t know how to do this, I’ve never been with anyone and this scares me a lot—I don’t want to be without you, but I don’t know how to be with you either,” she bit her bottom lip nervously. “I know it’s confusing, and I know I’m making a huge deal out of this, but I’ve never had anyone who cared for me like you do…”

“I don’t only care about you,” T’Challa said as he walked closer to the bed and sat next to her, laying a hand on her knee and gently caressing it. “I love you, and I don’t think I’ve ever felt like this for anyone, but you have to tell me what’s going on through that head of yours, “

“I know it’s just—I’m sorry, I’ve been the asshole, not you,” (Y/N) pouted.

“I have my share of fault too, so we’re both sorry and we’re both forgiven, right?” (Y/N) nodded silently. “So, most couples have make up sex after a fight, but I think we’re not there yet…” he chuckled, patting her knee. “So…”

“Give me a kiss and we’re all good,” (Y/N) offered, extending her arms to him.

T’Challa gladly accepted the invitation, and slowly reached out for her. Cupping her face in his fingers, she traced soft circles on her cheeks, thumbing her trembling bottom lip and smiling at her every reaction. He leaned forward to kiss her forehead and kissed down her face until he got to his lips, where he could’ve sworn they both melted with each other.  
(Y/N) held on to his arms, humming softly when his teeth nibbled at her bottom lip. She regretted having waited so long, especially after getting an idea of how much she had missed. She got on her knees and gently moved forwards until T’Challa was lying with his back flat on the bed. They chuckled childishly, and T’Challa pulled her closer for another kiss.

“I’ve been such an idiot,” (Y/N) smiled. “How come I’ve never even kissed you, like once?”

“This was worth the waiting,” T’Challa sighed heavily and kissed again, for what he hoped it wouldn’t be the last time.

Although (Y/N)’s heart could burst in ecstasy, the voice in the back of her head was still scolding her for letting him in.


	8. Chapter 8

(Y/N) snaked her arms up T’Challa’s chest until her fingers traced his sharp jawline. She needed to feel him closer; the kisses had been good enough for a while, also the nights of sleeping together and the everlasting hugs, but she couldn’t deny that her heart raced every time the kiss got heated and he pulled away.

Tonight, however, there was no escape. For neither of them.

After the movie marathon at the hotel, things had turned into more chill than Netflix, and (Y/N) was straddling T’Challa’s lap and rolling her hips parsimoniously slow. Although not having any kind of experience, everything she did came out of the most basic instinct her body provided.

“Are you sure?” T’Challa said in a rasp, cupping (Y/N)’s face with his hands. “I mean, we’ve only started kissing not long ago…”

“Oh Chad,” she smiled wickedly, “I may have gone to an all-girls school, but I do know a thing or two about the human body,” gently running a hand on T’Challa’s cheek, she purred. “Sorry for making you wait for so long, love,” she said in a faux apology. (Y/N) played with the hem of her shirt and slowly pulled it up and away, revealing a black, lace brassiere that she had bought just hours earlier.

T’Challa was tongue tied; even though it wasn’t the first time he had seen a woman in little clothing, it was the first time his heart was beating so fast. He could’ve sworn that everyone in Barcelona could hear how it drummed inside him, trying to escape from his chest. Under the dim moonlight that broke the darkness in the room, (Y/N) seemed ethereal, and he too unworthy of such a beautiful creature. Her skin and curves, almost completely exposed and to his mercy called his name out loud, but wasn’t sure if to take the call. His strong hands touched get lightly, fearing that she would break into a million pieces or that she would vanish before his fingertips. It seemed all too good to be real.  
He started at her face, thumbing sloppy circled on her temples and cheeks; then his fingers found (Y/N)’s plump lips which timidly opened at the featherlike touch he provided. It’s not like he wanted to make her wait even longer, or that he wanted to wait, but T’Challa knew in his heart that if he fucked it up, he could lose the best thing that had ever happened in his life: the woman he called Blair. She was in front of him –or more specifically, on top—, waiting patiently for his touch and feeling the imminent defeat that his touch provided.

For (Y/N) this was a whole new experience. Feeling loved for the very first time was the greatest thing she had ever experienced in her life. Chadwick was surely the love of her life and she wasn’t afraid to admit it, at least, not anymore. Even if this could ruin her status as the future queen of her nation, she was willing to throw it all away just for that man who had appeared out of nowhere and crashed into her life, filling up spaces she wasn’t even aware she had.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” (Y/N) asked in a breathless whisper. “You’re not getting cold feet, are you?”

“With you?” T’Challa retorted and smacked his tongue as he shook his head. “Never, Blair. I just… I just needed some time to believe you’re real, to believe you’re not going away any time soon,”

“I’ll stay here as long as you want me to, Chad,” she smiled nervously. “Do you want me to stay?”

He didn’t answer in words, but instead, he placed his hands on both sides of her face, cupping it gently and pulling her closer to kiss her so passionately that the room suddenly felt a hundred degrees hotter. One of his hands slowly roamed down to her neck, putting just a tiny amount of pressure on his hip, making (Y/N) moan slightly and in approval. The hand didn’t stay there for much longer, it had more body to discover, and T’Challa couldn’t get enough of her moans, mewls and sounds; he started rocking his hips against her, evoking more of those sweet whimpers that rolled from her soft lips.

His hand roamed further down, to the lacy fabric that covered just a small part of her chest. Now he had to use both hands for this. Her perky breasts were eager for his touch, and all of (Y/N) was; she craved his touch, waiting so long only had made more fervent for any sign of affection from him; and the feeling was completely reciprocal. T’Challa had endured the need to have her just because she wanted to take things slow; it was payback time.

With slow hands, he pulled down the straps of her upper garment, uncovering the barely covered collarbones and leaving light and delicate kisses on her needy skin, making (Y/N) throw her head back enough to reveal her neglected neck. T’Challa chuckled mischievously and left it as unattended as he had done in purpose. His fingers tugged down the dark lace, revealing her hardening nipples that with the air of the room, seemed to harden even more. The soon-to-be prince looked up at her love, and she replied the gaze with a shaky grin.

T’Challa buried his face in between her breasts, kissing greedily every inch of skin he could get. His hips, by now, were bucking faster now and he could feel how his erection stroke against her warmth. The ache in between her thighs grew more and more agonizing; she didn’t knew how she wanted it, but she surely knew she needed the relief.

“Chadwick, love…” she whimpered as she ran her hands through his short hair, “please…” the pleading sounded like a choir of angels to his ears and as much as he wanted to comply, he wanted to give her enough time to say no.

“Oh,” he looked up, faking surprise as he unclasped the brassier and threw it away for good, “what is it?”

“A lady like me should never beg,” (Y/N) replied breathlessly. “But will do if she has to,”

“Darling,” T’Challa said in pure amusement, “I really don’t want you to beg me, I’m just…” he exhaled deeply, “I’m just taking my time with my lady,”

“Oh, what a wicked revenge this is,” she gently stroke T’Challa’s cheek and, in a quick movement, she placed her hand under his chin and grabbed it tightly, “but I’m starting to run out of patience,” she threatened in a low voice, making T’Challa only more aroused at her unknown dominating self.

As if the conversation and threat never happened, he continued his parsimonious ministrations on her breasts; circling her nipples in both hands, twisting and pinching them in a harsher manner. (Y/N) cried out profanities mixed with his name and encouraging words, and rolled her hips to get more of the sweet friction his erection provided.  
With an arm well secured around her waist, T’Challa slowly started to change his position. “Hold on tight, babe,” she did as instructed, holding on for dear life onto his shoulders and feeling how she was not straddling him, nor the bed anymore.

T’Challa was about to pin her down to the soft mattress, and (Y/N) wasn’t even aware of how much she’d enjoy this. Before hovering over her body, T’Challa peeled off the shirt that now seemed useless and, like an animal after its prey, he lowered his torso against (Y/N)’s. Their hot skins seemed to blend with one another as they kissed deeply, moaning into each other’s mouths.

His lips finally trailed down, but quickly, to reach the hem of her shorts and slid them down her tanned legs. There was more of that dark lace covering her innermost thigh, but it was decorated with a tiny bow made of a shiny fabric that in the darkness of the room mixed with the hazy light that the moon gave, seemed to shine even brighter. He placed gentle kisses along the hem of the garment, and with his teeth, he pulled it down.

(Y/N) opened her legs in anticipation, she knew this was it. The moment she was supposed to save to her loving husband, she was giving it all away here, with the man she wasn’t aware she was supposed to marry. Placing more kisses on her thighs, he reached the spot that needed the most attention. (Y/N)’s head fell back deeper onto the quilt as she whined, piercing the silence. The flat of his tongue caressed hungrily her throbbing folds, making (Y/N) squirm and twitch in such a carnal way that she wasn’t even sure if it was still her anymore.

One of T’Challa’s hands found her clit, and circling around the swollen skin he noticed how much (Y/N) was enjoying it. From her lips, the most singular profanities came out, only driving T’Challa wilder and yearning for her, for all of her. (Y/N)’s hips bucked violently as she tried to get more and more; her back arched off from the bedding and fell back on it again with a thud. Her hands gripped the white quilt so hard that she could hear the threads stretching.

“You’re so gorgeous,” T’Challa said in absentmindedness; he reached his free hand out of her and she intertwined her slim fingers with his. “You’re so, so gorgeous, Blair,” (Y/N) replied with a silent and tired smile as she, with her free hand, ran her fingers through his thick, curly hair.

(Y/N) loved the feeling of control she was getting from seeing him in between her legs. She licked her lips lavishly and caught her bottom lip with her teeth. T’Challa carried on with his task, and slowly entered one of his thick fingers inside her.

“Fuck,” (Y/N) whispered.

Slowly moving around, T’Challa got deeper until he had no more finger. He tasted her clit, licking with fervor as she groaned loudly. Then, another finger was inside her, moving faster now that he was sure she could take it. Pumping at a steady pace, it didn’t take long for (Y/N) to cum on his fingers, wet, wildly and loudly. With his lips enclosed around her clit and sucking it harshly, (Y/N) was helped out to enjoy the last seconds of her orgasm. (Y/N) grabbed her head with one hand as she gasped loudly for air. She couldn’t say a word or even think of a word for what she was feeling now. T’Challa rose from in between her legs, and panting, he fixed his eyes on her.

“Good?” T’Challa asked, but all he could get from her was a breathless nod.

She was still seeing stars on the ceiling, and her breath was still not entirely recovered. She could still feel the ache on her body, but it didn’t hurt; it was more like the need to have him again, have him more than she had already done. Tonight, the titles didn’t exist and neither their royal families that looked so eagerly for both of them. Tonight it was only them and the thick air of sex.

“I hope you didn’t think this is over yet, Blair darling,” T’Challa took (Y/N) out her daydreaming by offering both hands and helping her get up. He laid on the mattress, and with his full erection covered by a condom, he invited her to jump up. (Y/N) did what her heart told her to, but still felt quite unsure of how she was actually going to take him. She held on to T’Challa’s shoulders and let him do the rest.

He teased her with his fingers again, feeling the warmth of her entrance and her walls clenching around him. (Y/N) found his hard cock, waiting to be rode by her. She stroke him, eliciting soft and deep groans that drove her absolutely mad. She made the numbers in her mind and conducted his longing shaft to her entrance, and slowly, she went down on her knees.

With her back arched and her sweaty chest towards him, she sighed lightly at the new feeling. Her hairs dug on his shoulders as she pushed herself downwards, T’Challa growled so deeply that it vibrated all over her. She rolled her hips parsimoniously, making him groan and sigh even more. She hadn’t realized how much she enjoyed his voice, or everything of him.

_And then she picked up the pace._

Rocking her hips back and forth, she was crying out in pure ecstasy. Their lips, melted in a glorious and ravenous longing, claimed profanities along with the other’s name when they were apart for gasps of air. (Y/N) had little control of herself right now, and she didn’t know how to be control of this whole thing anymore. With the movement, T’Challa was almost lying flat on the bed and leaving his chest exposed to her so she could do as she pleased; she propped herself with both hands on T’Challa’s chest and bounced on his lap, feeling the bliss of another growing orgasm flood her mind and body. They were close, very, very close to the edge.

“Ba—babe!” She yelled. “I’m so—”

“Come on, darling,” T’Challa encouraged. “Come on, Blair,”

He thrust upwards, feeling the urgent need to cum, and he sure did; between her walls clenching around his shaft, and her nails digging on his torso, it didn’t take him much longer to finally reach the point of pure delirium that her body offered. He pulled her closer, making her lay flat over his chest and started kissing her with jubilee, but calmly, as they rode each other’s orgasms. They looked at each other with loving eyes and stroke the shiny droplets of sweat away from their foreheads.

“I love you, Chadwick,” she said lazily, “I love you so much,”

“I hope we have more time to enjoy ourselves,” he said.

(Y/N)’s body was still shaking on top of him, and she felt more conscious of her own body, the things she enjoyed and not. It was T’Challa who took her out of her daydreaming with a gentle kiss on her lips. It wasn’t his first time; Nakia had been his first and even though he adored her because they still remained good friends, it could never be compared to this; to her. They slid under the covers, completely naked to get some sleep; for T’Challa was easier, but (Y/N) was sleepless, tossing and turning on the bed.  
Just a few hours later, and once (Y/N) made sure her lover was fast asleep, she got up from the bed, not even bothering to cover her nakedness, just to grab her phone from her bag and call the only person that could be available to talk about feelings at any hour of the day, including night. She stopped before the glass doors and grabbed one of the robes from the bathroom; the night was not exactly warm, and there was a great chance someone was looking out of the window. She walked to the balcony and dialed the number, after a few seconds, a sleepy and angry voice answered.

“ _Do you even realize how late it is, (Y/N)?_ ” The voice, a male one, replied. “ _I don’t know where you are, but you’re sure as hell fucking annoying,_ ”

“Alexei, I’m deeply sorry,” she whispered, “but I needed someone—”

“ _That someone had to be me, right?_ ” A heavy sigh was audible from the other line. “ _What did you do? What did you get yourself into this time? Do you need money or something?_ ”

“I took a lover into my bed…”

“ _Jesus fuck,_ ” Alexei suddenly felt more awaken now. “ _Sissy, tell me this is a joke and that you did not do what you just told me_ ,”

“I did and… I swear to god I do not regret about it,”

“ _What happens now, (Y/N)? I mean—if I’m not mistaken, you still need to get married to that T’Challa guy; father’s been quite persistent and he’s been asking for your whereabouts. The age right card didn’t work at all; he insists on the birth right. Are you ever planning to come back? Wait before that, tell me you’re either on the pill or that the guy used protection or… was it a girl?_ ”

“It was a man, and yes, we did use protection,” (Y/N) hissed, “I really think I should get some more credit from you, brother,” she sighed heavily. “And no, I am not coming back, at least not in the near future, Alexei. I’m staying in Barcelona and I might go away to some other place soo—”

“ _(Y/N), darling, I do hope you know what you’re doing and what you’re getting yourself into… I’d hate to see you getting hurt…_ ”

“I was not raised a fool, Alexei,”

“ _I know, and… this is gonna be awful coming from me, but… how are you going to get married now? I mean… you took a lover in your bed and… for people like you that happens to mean something, your future husband will find out that…_ ”

Before (Y/N) could answer, a hand on her shoulder startled her and she squealed before realizing who it was. She nodded at T’Challa and smiled nervously.

“I have to go now, it’s always great talking to you, I’ll see you soon, hopefully, stay safe, and… tell the others I miss them,” she bit her bottom lip, holding back the tears that threatened with pooling in her tired eyes. She hung up and shoved the phone inside one of the robe’s pockets. “Did I wake you up, darling?” (Y/N) asked, looking up as T’Challa smiled down at her

“I don’t meant to pry, but who were you talking to at this hour? And what’s up with the whole stay safe thing? It’s not the first time I hear you saying that,” he kissed the top of (Y/N)’s head lovingly and walked towards the balustrade, leaning his back there and folding his arms over his naked chest. “It may be late here in Barcelona,” he commented, looking around him and at the dark skyline, “but I can only assume it must be kinda late everywhere else,”

“Not in Asia, besides, it’s always 5 o’clock somewhere,” (Y/N) smiled slyly. “Are you jealous, Chadwick?” She cocked an eyebrow at him, who only shook his head at her, feeling relieved at the night being so dark that he could hide his childish anger and jealousy growing inside him. “I didn’t really take you for one, but again, you never cease to amaze me, love. Anyway, it was my butler, Alexei,” she stood up, having a slight suspect that he was too jealous to believe any of it. She stayed next to him, holding the iron railing tightly and inhaling deeply the chill air. She looked at the tiny tilting lights of the city as if they were stars that were too low on the sky. “I’ve known him my whole life, he’s… like a brother, yeah, very much like it,” (Y/N) turned her head to look at T’Challa and smiled lazily. “But you’re not, and I love you,”

“More than you love your butler?”

“Let’s have some fun inside and I’ll decide,” she bit her bottom lip and T’Challa effortlessly lifted from the floor and took her to the bedroom for another round of love.


	9. Chapter 9

After a sleepless night, in the very first hours of dawn (Y/N) was able to fully understand everything that had happened in the last time. She was no longer a virgin, and if word got around, no one in the kingdom would want her, because she had to go back eventually; the running madness had to end at some point. What was most important, she had fallen head over heels for the man sleeping next to her. But she wasn’t really sure if to go back home with him by his side. More than once she had wanted to tell him the truth, because she knew he would eventually find out one way or another. Therefore, she wanted to cut the possibilities, but whenever she tried to put her thoughts into words, they got stuck on her lips, and the latter ended up glued to T’Challa’s.

T’Challa was still next to her, resting peacefully on his self-claimed side of the bed. She looked at him, feeling a silly, effervescent tingle throughout her body. T’Challa rolled off on his back and groggily opened his eyes. A lazy smile drew on his lips and his heavy arms dragged her towards his half naked self. She turned her back to him and decided to close her eyes and let the worries of the grown up world slip through her fingers.

“Have I ever told you how gorgeous you look in the morning, Blair?” T’Challa mumbled, but he was surely not fully awake. (Y/N) giggled breathily and called it quits; she still had a few hours.

When she woke up again, T’Challa was singing from the shower a Marvin Gaye song. She smiled, thinking about everything that had happened. Not even in her wildest dreams she would have thought that she’d find love. She walked to the bathroom and decided to join him under the water. 

Once out of the shower, and as she finished dressing up, a buzz on the table took her from her daydreaming.

“ _Father found out, he’s coming to you. Beware._ ”

Before (Y/N) could even reply to the text, the door flew open and a group of 4 men got inside. Behind them, her father walked calmly. It had been a whole year since she last saw him and it seemed like some sort of illness had taken over him; his complexion was pale and apparently old age had come to him sooner than expected. He walked supported by a cane, slowly and painfully. It hurt his daughter to see him like that; she suddenly realized that maybe running away was not the greatest or smartest decision, especially for her father’s health.

“(Y/N), I will ask this very nicely and only once,” the king started, “come with me and fulfill your duty,” his voice didn’t match his appearance at all. It was still strong as it always was and it sent a shiver down the princess’s spine. “The law is in the process of being—Prince T’Challa?” He finally turned to the man who had just come out of the bathroom. “I’m very sorry, but what are you doing here… and why are you with my daughter?” T’Challa’s eyes opened wide at the man who knew his real identity. 

“I do not wish to come back,” (Y/N) said firmly. The only thing that crossed her mind was the need to find out how he found her. “Even if the law changes…”

“It changed because the people—your people, put unreasonably amounts of pressure on me. They want you,” (Y/N)’s father replied. “They want you at all costs,”

“Blair?” T’Challa said as he fixed his shirt. “Is it your real name?” In his voice both the anger and disappointment grew stronger. He had been lied to, and what was most terrible, he had just fallen for the woman he was supposed to marry. “What is this?” He growled, walking closer to the woman whose real identity shattered all his dreams. “Did you plan this?” He grabbed her hand harshly and made her look up.

“Let me go, T’Challa!” She spat her name with hatred, for she had also fallen for the man she was supposed to marry. “How do I know this wasn’t your plan? How do I know you weren’t sent by my father? Father, did you do this?” She tried to move, but his grip was tight and it was actually very strong. “Let me go!” Her eyes filled with tears, from pain and heartbreak. The first man she loved turned out to be the person she had sworn to hate. She wanted to hide her face in his chest to cry, but she knew her tears wouldn’t be dried by him.

“Prince T’Challa, let go of my daughter now,” the king coldly demanded. “Whether she is going to be your future wife or not, I will not allow you treat her like this, never,” he threatened; T’Challa obliged and without even grabbing his things, he left the room and their lives without any further words. (Y/N) shook and rubbed her hurting wrist as her father walked towards her. 

With a thud, (Y/N) fell onto the still unmade bed and covered her face, crying loudly as she took in what had just happened in a matter of minutes. The King sat down next to her and placed his old, wrinkly hand on her knee.

“You may think I don’t love you, (Y/N),” he sighed heavily, “but truth is, you remind me so much of your mother that it scares me how much I do love you. I feat that you’ll become her one day. You’re so free, so independent, you’ve never needed me—”

“I did,” she cut him off with a trembling voice. “I did need you, and… I still do,”

“And I’m sorry for not being there, darling, I just never knew how,”

“Father…” (Y/N) said after a few minutes in silence, as she tried to keep herself together. She looked up at him and found that gentle smile that was not often, but it was true. “I don’t know how to be a queen, but I will do it anyway because I have never backed down from my duties, this just a break I took to think," she added, feeling the urge to be composed again, "but I… I need you to teach me… dad,”

“You’ll be an even better monarch than I am, now let’s go, honey,” he smiled at her again and cupped her face in one hand. Leaning forward, he kissed her forehead like he did when she was just a baby. In that short second, everything seemed like it would be alright.

The king and (Y/N) walked together down the hotel’s lobby, and from the corner of her eye, the soon-to-be queen saw Prince T’Challa checking out at the desk. She knew he was hurt, mostly because of her, but she couldn’t help the feeling of rage when she realized she had fallen for the one man she swore herself not to fall for. Their gazes met for an instant that was so long that it felt like everything happened in slow motion; she touched her hurting wrist, wrapping her hand around it in a softer manner and T’Challa gulped guiltily. He never meant to hurt her, but now that he had done, he could never forgive himself. She wished for things to be different and for him to not keep any resentment towards her. 

None of this was her fault, and neither his; unfortunately, life and its funny ways always got in the way. With a heavy sigh, (Y/N) turned her head again and lost sight of T’Challa just to start thinking about the flight back home, it was going to be a very long one.

Once on the jet, (Y/N) fidgeted and looked at her father on the other side of the narrow aisle. Having the sun right on his face, he looked quite younger, as if all his wrinkles disappeared under the rays and he reminded her of a time when he was actually a kind person to her. She smiled at the memory, longing to be a child once again and being held by her father and her mother. 

“Father, how did you find me?”

“I tracked your credit card,” he replied simply, shrugging one shoulder. “You really have been all over the world, did you enjoy it?” he smiled lightly.

“But how? I am not an underage anymore,” she frowned.

“Being the king gives you a couple of privileges, and being the owner of the national bank has some other privileges too,” he chuckled. “You’ll find out soon enough, and I’ll be there to guide you, kitten,” he reached out his wrinkly hand at her and she took it gladly. (Y/N) smiled widely at her old pet name, her mother used to call her like that, and when her father was home, he did too. She sighed heavily and decided to have a nice nap before arriving to her country.


	10. Chapter 10

And just as silently as he left, T’Challa came back home. He made its way through the long aisles of the castle. Everything was as if he never left, the same paintings, and perhaps the same bits of dust on them.

Even the familiar steps of Queen Ramonda sounded just the same after a whole year away. She had gotten the news of the runaway prince’s spotting, and just like the first time she saw him, she took him to his room. Her face seemed just as jovial as it had always been and even though T’Challa’s mother occupied a great space in his heart, Ramonda was part of his life too.

She helped the prince unpack and discard the clothes that needed some washing, and once they finished, she sat down on the bed and silently awaited for his story.

“I met her, princess (Y/N),” he sighed.

“I know,” Queen Ramonda nodded, “we got a letter from her father just a few days ago, before you came back,” she smiled lightly and quickly. “He says the engagement is obviously broken and that he expects to hear nothing from us; well, you specifically, ever again, you might want to enlighten me on that,”

“I fell in love with her like a teenager,” T’Challa admitted. “(Y/N), she’s great, and even though she lied to me—I don’t think I would meet a woman like that ever again, I love her, and I honestly couldn’t care less by now,” he shrugged at the hopelessness of his love. “Now that I know her better, I do wish to marry her, but I know she doesn’t want to; I lied about a lot of things too and I perhaps she will not forgive me for that,”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, dearest,” Queen Ramonda said, looking at the young man in front of her, “I am sure she must be feeling the same way,” T’Challa was surely growing up and she was so proud of the man he now was. She met him when he was just a little boy, no more than 5 years of age, and now he was ready to be a king; she knew he never needed a queen, but now she was completely convinced. “With time, you’ll find out that love is not a need,” she said with a taint of sorrow in her voice, “but a commodity, and kings do not have enough time for love,”

“Does this come from experience?” T’Challa rose a suspicious eyebrow at her.

“Your father is a very kind man, T’Challa dear,” the queen rose from the bed and left her step-son alone with a bunch of things to think about.

Not long after, his routine was the same as the one a year ago. Dinner was announced at the same hour and his life became again what it used to be. Waking up at the same time, every single day, even on weekends, then getting up for breakfast that its only variation was the fruit of choice, then training, then lunch, then his wanderings around the library and the gardens, then dinner and finally, he’d have the night for himself and the thought of (Y/N).  
She was in everything he could think of; even if it had no relation whatsoever with her, there she was. One day, as he absently walked around the palace, he found the one companion he hadn’t seen in the whole month he had come back. Nakia was walking next to the prince’s sister and once she saw him, she said her goodbyes to the young princess and went to greet her former lover.

“The lost prince is back home at last,” she said kissing his cheek. “You look like shit,” T’Challa huffed a laugh at her lack of tact, “and you also look like you need someone to talk to,” she pointed out.

“You never cease to impress me, Nakia,” the prince said in amusement and started walking towards one of the palace’s entrances. Nakia followed him, smiling to herself as she saw the man she once let go. She didn’t want him back, at least, not like that, but she was very grateful of everything he had given her. “Come on, keep up!” He shouted from his shoulder, making the woman speed up her steps.

After giving all the details from his runaway adventure, Nakia was silently impressed; T’Challa, in a year out, had changed and grown up more than he had done in his entire life. She was slightly proud, for that was the reason they broke up in the first place. The future king talked of his love like she was the greatest woman that had ever stepped on the earth, and for him, she actually was.

“Well, that’s quite the story, darling,” Nakia sighed, “have you talked to her?” T’Challa looked away and shook his head. “Why am I not surprised?” She sighed tiredly.

“Don’t you think I’ve tried? Haven’t you just heard the story?” T’Challa asked in irritation. “I don’t have anything to reach out for her; the number she gave me does not answer anymore and I believe it’s because she doesn’t want to talk to me, and my texts are not even seen,”

“No wonder why! I would really cut your balls off and stick them to your forehead if you dared to grab me like that and hurt me,” Nakia threatened. “I over stepped, I’m sorry,” she rose her palms in an apologizing manner, “I really don’t know what to say, this (Y/N) seems like a great person, and for what it’s worth, I think she’s had an amazing effect on you; if it wasn’t because you love her so much, I would definitely reconsider getting back together,” she giggled heartedly, placing a soft hand on the prince’s thigh.

They stayed in the most comfortable silence for a while, thinking about their own relationship and how it ended, and they both silently thanked one another for being so grownups when breaking up and for keeping a friendship that began in their early years. Nakia was the daughter of King T’Chaka’s right hand, therefore the two spent a great amount of time together, resulting in almost the perfect engagement; one that T’Challa was not ready for, and one that Nakia didn’t even want to consider.

“You know,” Nakia broke the silence, “a conference for young heirs of monarchies is going to be held at the UN’s building in Vienna in about a month, there’s a great chance she’ll be there too, perhaps you two can make things up,” she smiled and shrugged one shoulder. She sighed heavily and tapped her thighs with both hands, standing up. “This has been very enriching, my prince, and I hope I could put some peace in that troubled mind of yours, but I’m afraid I have to go because you have some company coming, and it may or may not be the king,” she bowed her head and walked away, bowing again when the king walked by her.

It had no use to escape from the anticipated and heartfelt talk with the king, who silently sat down next to his son and looked around him in dreaminess; the kingdom was old, and King T’Chaka had learnt from his father before him the struggles that the people of Wakanda went through and how the female heirs had made their own way in a sea of marriage problems, all by themselves.

“Do you remember when we walked for long hours, before Ramonda came into our lives?” The King finally asked. “It was after your lessons and we could stay here for many hours, until dusk,”

“I do remember that, father,” T’Challa said, feeling a slight smile on his own face, matching the king’s. “That was the best part of the day, because you’d sit me on your shoulders and never got tired, or at least you didn’t tell me that you were,” T’Challa chuckled along with his father.

“Do you remember what I used to tell you about the queens of our nation?” T’Challa nodded, not understanding well where his father headed to. “They fought for their legitimate right to rule the country, each queen did it, and we, the male heirs didn’t have any problem to rule with or without a queen,” the old king sighed. “Perhaps I was wrong, and you can rule without a wife too,”

“Father I—”

“I do not desire to know what happened between the two of you because that’s your private life and I’ve always respected it, both as your father and as your king,” King T’Chaka said hardheartedly, but only because he needed to sound cold and authoritative as the king he was, “but I do want you to know that I will not pester you anymore with a wife, once I die you will not need one to be king,”

“Father, would you listen to me for once in your life?” T’Challa said in vexation, “I fell in love with her, and I’m afraid I hurt her enough to make her hate me for the rest of her life—”

“To hate is such a lazy thing to do, T’Challa,” the king chuckled, “and the rest of her life is such a long time, that if she does hate you, she will eventually forget about it. I don’t know her like you do, but she will not hate you, and I’m pretty sure she must be feeling the exact same way,” T’Chaka clicked his tongue and effortlessly stood up. “Go to that UN meeting, you have nothing to lose, son,”

“What if she doesn’t want to see me there? And what if she ends up hating me more after that conference?”

“Then it’ll count as a closure, I guess,” the king shrugged as he walked back to the castle.


	11. Chapter 11

What seemed like a careless turn of head, for T’Challa became the beginning of the end. (Y/N) was walking inside the building, followed by a small entourage of guards and god knows who. A tall man was holding her hand tightly and talking to her very closely. They looked very comfortable with each other, but once she averted her eyes from the mysterious man, she couldn’t help but to find T’Challa’s penetrating gaze. She had to fight her instinct from interrupting her confident walk, if not, she would have ran into the Wakandian’s arms.

“Stop staring,” Nakia coughed, turning her back to (Y/N) and looking at her prince. “Wow, she is really pretty—whoops, she’s coming our way, act natural,” she hissed more nervous than T’Challa was and turned around.

(Y/N) gracefully made her way towards a very nervous Nakia and a calmly-looking T’Challa, and hid all her fears behind a smiling façade. The man accompanying her was no longer there, giving T’Challa a certain feeling a tranquility. (Y/N) seemed even more beautiful than what she used to, even though just a few months had passed since the last time he saw her. Something about her had changed, but only to boost up her beauty.

“Your highness,” (Y/N) bowed her head. “It’s a pleasure to see you here, and you are?” She looked at Nakia with kind eyes, hoping she would be her fiancée. (Y/N) needed the closure, she needed to know T’Challa was no longer available to start forgetting about him, for these last couple of months had been fruitless. She held her hand towards her.

“I’m Nakia, your highness, a member of the Dora Milaje,” the female guard shook (Y/N)’s hand and bowed her head too. “It’s an honor to meet your acquaintance,”

“It’s actually ‘majesty’,” (Y/N) bit her bottom lip nervously, “but it doesn’t matter, I’m still not used to the title, anyway” she shrugged. “If you don’t mind me asking, are you two together? And… what’s the Dora M-Milaje?” She hurried to add before the two Wakandians could see right through her, even though they already had.

“They are the all-female army of Wakanda, they have served the crown ever since the beginning of our nation. Nakia is the one of the highest members and also the head of my security, your majesty. But today, she’s only my chaperone,” T’Challa explained as calmly as his fast-beating heart allowed him, “and we have been friends for quite a long time, Wakanda is very small and her family has been around my family for many years,”

“It’s very nice to meet you, Nakia,” (Y/N) said, not sure if she should feel relieved or not. The man once holding her hand whispered some words to her ear and with a heavy sigh, she had to say goodbye. “I do apologize for this short introduction, but I have a speech to give. It’s been a pleasure to see you both and I hope we can have an extended chat, and of course, that you’d be in the room later,” (Y/N) bowed her head and left.

“That’s how you do diplomacy,” Nakia said once (Y/N) was far enough. “I can’t believe you let that woman go, if you don’t mind me saying this, your highness, you’re really an asshole,” she scolded T’Challa, crossing her arms on her chest.

Soon, all the royal highnesses were conducted to the main room where one of the orators would give a, hopefully, not boring speech.

T’Challa took his place, looking for (Y/N) everywhere in the room; perhaps she was just in another seat on the other side of the room, but no. (Y/N) was positioning herself behind the podium, checking the little details like the lightning and her microphone to talk to everyone in the room. The prince’s hands started to sweat; his heart beat faster than ever only because she seemed so powerful and the only thing he wanted to do was to surrender at her feet and ask for forgiveness. 

“Good afternoon everyone,” (Y/N) started, making T’Challa tremble at the clearness of her voice, “I would like to begin by thanking all of you for still being here, I know these events may get a bit boring and we all have some better business to attend,” she giggled, joined by all of the attendants in a short comic relief. “When I first thought about this speech, I didn’t really know what to say and I thought of just quitting as I have done with many other things in my life, but then I realized… what’s the sense in that? Today I want to bring a topic that, I know, makes us all uncomfortable, but hear me out, this is worth the talk,” (Y/N) took a deep breath. “Before my father died, and before he changed the law, I was engaged to someone I didn’t know, and I know that at least one of you, men and women attending, have gone through that too,” the new queen looked at the audience, searching with for the man who, she knew, was fidgeting on his seat. “My father, was not a kind man, or at least with me, he never was,” she chuckled, “long story short, he said I was going to marry some man and so I ran away on a self-discovery journey that took me nowhere further than where I already was,” she sighed heavily, “but I do not regret it, because even though that journey ended up with two hearts broken, and one of those being my own, it helped me understand that my father was not crazy when he said the words ‘I found you a husband’; he didn’t say it because he wanted to see me being miserable for the rest of my life. He said it because he knew how lonely this job gets,” once she finally found T’Challa, she fixed her eyes on him, and for an instant she felt like he did so too, and indeed he was. “I wish I could tell the man I met on that road that I still want to be with him regardless of who I am, for now I feel lonelier than ever,” her voice cracked for a second and T’Challa nodded, as if he was saying he would marry her and be with her. “Love is not arranged at all, and how I hope to god it was sometimes,” she took a step back from the podium and dried the inner corners of her eyes with gentle fingers. “Future monarchs, what I want to tell you is not to accept an arranged marriage without knowing your future partner just because you are told to, but don’t throw the possibility out of the window. Sometimes, love doesn’t come in the form of a lover, and sometimes that is not what you need, and sometimes, love is but a commodity,” she looked at her audience firmly, feeling a boost of confidence, and T’Challa realized what his stepmother’s words meant too. “Sometimes, all you need is a shoulder to cry on, or someone who tells you that even if you mess up, your people will still love you,” all of her confidence soon shattered again. “I know I need that,” she giggled with teary eyes. Even Nakia was shaking from her words, mostly because she knew the story, but because she never heard it from another person’s side. “Don’t shut the door to the possibilities; instead, welcome them and look at them very closely, because it might be exactly what you’ll eventually need. It’s still your own life they’re talking about, you can might as well be in control of it,” (Y/N) smiled, feeling ready to give an end to her words that seemed so eternal. “If I had known what I do now, I would have personally gotten married to the man my father found. Thank you everyone so much,” the audience stood up, except for one, “now let’s enjoy the rest of the day,” she waved her hand goodbye and was helped by her brother to come down.

She was conducted to her seat later on, which was just a few ones from T’Challa’s; he smiled at her form his seat and she waved from her seat, smiling lightly. Two more speeches went along, and the furtive looks didn’t stop, even though they were very attentive to the words being said; the first speech was about the importance of diplomacy for the new generations and the other was about how the new generations could benefit old governments; (Y/N) took notes of every speech, knowing that she’d surely need things for later. Even though she was still the only queen in the room, the highnesses at the podium knew what they talked about, most probably because they were older than her and they have lived longer lives preparing themselves for a throne that sometimes seemed too far away from their grasp.

After the conference, she was took by her oldest brother and companion to her room to have something to eat and get some rest. 

“Who was the man staring at you?” Her brother asked. “Your future husband? Should I start calling him a king? Or is he already one? And why do I have the feeling that I’ve seen him…”

“Stop it, Alexei,” (Y/N) rolled her eyes. “He’s… no one you should worry about, I just… I just happen know him a bit and that’s all,”

“Aren’t you going to tell me about your little adventure?” The blonde man pouted; although being quite a few years older than her, he had a childish face and almost platinum blonde hair made him look even younger. Taking into account his age, he should have been the true heir to the throne, but he was a child outside the late king’s marriage, and he would never get that possibility, but now that (Y/N) was queen, he got to participate actively in the royal and official activities she had to attend now. After (Y/N)’s mother died, Alexei was the closest thing she had to a family, and for that, she was forever in debt. “Was it really worthless?”

“No, it was not,” she said, trying hard not to smile at all the good things the journey brought to her life. “I only said it to not encourage them to run away because I don’t know how their parents would react; some of them can get killed, but yes, it was indeed worth it, all of it was,”

“Would you change something if you could do it again?”

“I’m not really sure,” she said, leaving her earrings inside a small box on the night table. “I think I would change a few things; there were some things said that I wish I could change, not only said by me, but also said by… by the man I met,”

“Are you in love with him?” Alexei asked. 

“Ahhh,” she groaned, “so many questions Alexei!” She threw a pillow at him and laughed. “Let me get through today and I’ll find an answer to that,”

A few hours later, (Y/N) zipping up the side of her burgundy dress, got herself ready for the dinner held at the building. It was for all the attendants and their companions, and she was not exactly planning on running away again, even though Nakia was already machining everything to get them together. 

At dinner, she sat with Frederik of Denmark, Namgyel of Bhutan, Abdullah of Jordan, and, to her surprise, T’Challa of Wakanda; being the only royal female there was not intimidating, considering that she was the only queen among the men; on the other hand, being seated between Alexei and T’Challa, surely made things just a little uncomfortable. 

The blonde man observed the Wakandian very closely, and just as if he was thrown a snowball to the face, he realized who the man sitting next to his sister was. It was prince T’Challa of Wakanda, the man (Y/N) was supposed to get married. He had seen his picture a hundred times and heard his name a couple hundred more. Before his father died, he rambled angrily at how the kingdom had lost an opportunity of cultural and economic exchange thanks to (Y/N)’s irresponsibility, disloyalty and hatred for her beloved country. 

Alexei knew there was something hidden between the two, but he couldn’t quite grasp what.

“I really enjoyed your speech, your majesty,” Abdullah mentioned in between munches, “I imagine it must have been hard for you to hear those words, especially from your father, even though…” he fell silent for a while, unsure of what to say, “by your words, he wasn’t very kind to you, right?”

“Yes, your highness, definitely,” (Y/N) replied after a sip of water, “but I think I understand why he arranged a marriage, maybe he didn’t find a nice way to say it, because it is not easy to tell your daughter you found her a husband especially considering that we’re living in the 21st century, right?” She sighed. “But now that I am a queen I feel like I don’t want my future children to reign by themselves, it’s not fair for them, you know? But I don’t think I could ever arrange a marriage for them, I mean, I wouldn’t want to make the same mistakes that my father made with me,”

“Your majesty,” T’Challa said in a wobbly voice, “you said something about running away and now I am really intrigued by it,” from under the table, Nakia squeezed his knee to make him stop. T’Challa had been drinking before and she was afraid it got to his head. “Was it really worthless?”

“Oh please, drop the majesty! I am just (Y/N)!” She laughed. “Anyway, after the conference, I was talking to Alexei, my oldest brother and official chaperone,” she placed a loving hand over her brother’s shoulder, “and he asked the exact same question you are making,” she said, “and truth is, just between us all, it wasn’t worthless at all,” she turned her head to T’Challa and smiled, “I learnt so much being out; I was independent for the very first time in my life. God, I even fell in love for the very first time! Even if that got my heart broken, I would do it all again if I could,”

“Would you change something, (Y/N)?” T’Challa asked, and just by hearing her name in his voice (Y/N) trembled. “Or would you do it all the same?”

“You and my brother think exactly the same!”

“Well sissy,” Alexei chimed in, “brilliant minds think alike,” everyone at the table laughed, making things a little lighter.

“Truth is, there are some things I would change, but I am never that lucky,” (Y/N) shrugged, putting an end to the topic. The other monarchs were none the wiser about the small hope exchange that they had just witnessed. Nakia looked at (Y/N) and smiled proudly; the queen suddenly realized that the female guard knew everything and blushing, she looked away.

Once dinner was over, the monarchs and companions were taken to another room with a bar and a space to dance. The music was not entirely of (Y/N)’s taste, and neither T’Challa’s, but prince Abdullah was faster and he asked the queen for a few minutes of her company. He was way too young for her, but she surely had an adult soul inside him. A time in the military changed all men.

“You and Prince T’Challa seem to have a natural chemistry, if you allow me to say, your majesty,”

“Enough with the titles,” she pouted, “but really? I haven’t really had a chance to talk to him on a one on one basis, but he seems quite nice, although I think he drank a bit too much, am I right?”

“So, did you find a husband?” The Jordanian prince jokingly winked at her. “I may be young but I am very lovable, and I do respect my women,” he flashed a flirty smile. “Because, as you may know, I can have a few wives at the same time,”

“Oh!” She giggled nervously. “I’m afraid the law in my country was changed and I don’t need a husband now, but I have a few sisters that you can meet one day if you ever come to the palace; you are more than welcome to stay,” she offered, “and I’m sure you’ll all get along,”

The music slowly faded and the DJ announced that it was time for diplomacy and slow dances. Marvin Gaye’s voice was clear and ‘Your Precious Love’ came along. Prince Abdullah spotted T’Challa from afar and with a respectful bow, he left the queen. 

When she was about to go back to her room, a strong hand held hers and made her turn around. Her mouth hung open in anticipation, because the last time they were that close was also the last time they met.

“Can I interest you in dancing, your majesty?” His low voice was above the noise, and it sent shivers down her spine. She nodded, sure that her words wouldn’t really come out, and T’Challa took the chance to place his free hand on the small of her back. “You cut your hair,” he commented.

“You are quite the observant, your highness,” (Y/N) said in absentmindedness. 

They swayed slowly, nonchalantly and uncaring of the world around them. Alexei tried to go where she was, but Nakia was faster, and with her charms, she convinced the queen’s brother to dance with her. (Y/N) placed a hand behind T’Challa’s neck and smiled greatly; the night was perfect, and without words, they said everything they needed to know.

The hand that was intertwined with (Y/N)’s slowly came up, lingering on her arms and finally resting on her cheek. (Y/N)’s lids fluttered as she slowly pulled him closer for a kiss. The song ended too soon, but ‘Close to you’ appeared just as suddenly as the birds. 

Their lips melted in longing and desire. They knew they couldn’t run away, because everyone had their eyes on (Y/N) mostly, and they fought bravely against the need for each other’s bodies. T’Challa needed a closure, but what he got was way better than that and it was what his heart needed. It hurt him to have her like this again, in the shadows and mist of a diplomatic meeting and before the eyes of strangers from all corners of the world, but this was the only way he knew how to have her.

The closing felt more like opening a wound and throwing a bag of salt all over it. His body ached to have her in his arms again; even just looking at her was enough for his heart. (Y/N), Blair, whatever her name was, she was salt to the wound, but also the sweetest of nurses to take care of him. He had never been more in love with her, and he thought there was no such thing. 

Nakia and Alexei shamelessly observed the scene and each one had different feelings to describe. While the female guard’s heart bounced inside her chest for the prince’s happiness, Alexei soon realized that all the puzzle pieces came together. (Y/N) had given him some vague details about the journey, and then it hit him like a hundred snowballs to the face. T’Challa was the man (Y/N) met and fell in love with. The older brother shook his head and looked away, allowing the two enjoy the rest of the night.

T’Challa pulled her closer to his body, making (Y/N) sigh in the kiss, giving the Wakandian prince the opportunity to tangle his tongue with hers, fighting for power and love; a war that was far from being diplomatic. He thought of the words she said before, about love being a friend and not necessarily a lover, and she was both; friend and lover and he wanted to have that for the rest of his days.

“What do we do now?” (Y/N) nervously asked once the kiss broke, feeling his arms wrapping around her waist; she knew quite well there was no turning back from there, and that all of her efforts had just gone to the trash can the very minute she saw T’Challa going in late to the conference. She was sure now; she wanted to be with him for the rest of her life. “I’ve been trying to forget about you this whole time, and… apparently I couldn’t,”

“Let me get through the night and have you in my arms for a bit more, and then we’ll think about what happens next,” T’Challa flashed a flirty smile at her, leaning forward to kiss her forehead. “I love you (Y/N), so very much, and I know I shouldn’t have lied to you, let alone hurt you that day,”

“Oh, honey… we both said and did things that we regret now,” she shook her head in a sympathetic manner, “but meeting you is never going to be a regret, T’Challa, I love you and… not matter what happens, I will always do,”

“There are some things we need to discuss, then,” he chuckled, pressing his forehead against hers.

“Tonight, I want to discuss other things with you,” (Y/N) bit her bottom lip, hoping he would get the hint.

“Do you wish to sneak out, your majesty?”

“Only with you, love” she whispered to his ear.


	12. Chapter 12 - The end

Both royal families were gathered in (Y/N)’s palace, and everyone, except for the queen, knew what was going to happen. After lunch, they gathered at the library.

“May I have you attention for a minute, please?” T’Challa said as he stood up. Everyone looked at him knowingly, but (Y/N) furrowed her eyebrows in puzzling. “(Y/N), it has no use to deny the history between us and, but that is not the main reason why I am doing this. I’m doing this because I love you and I’ve loved you for so long that I don’t think I can wait another minute,” he reached out his hand to (Y/N), who nervously accepted it and stood up. “I don’t think I can do it any more special because you’re a queen and you’ve seen a lot of special things, besides I wanted to do this in front of both our families… Your Majesty, will you marry me?” He kneeled in front of her, revealing a light blue box and a ring inside. (Y/N) gasped loudly and covered her mouth with both hands. “I am on my knees, (Y/N), after all these years,” T’Challa said nervously as he looked around the room with all the family looking at the two lovebirds, “you can’t say no,”

“Before I say yes, which I am dying to,” she replied, “you ought to understand what I means to be with me,” (Y/N) looked at the kneeling man in front of her. “I am not a normal woman, and life with me is not going to be easy, and… there’ll be times when I am not around for long… I’m not trying to talk you out of this,” she giggled, “but… be prepared… Oh, what the hell! Yes!” She squealed, and T’Challa shakily slid the ring on her finger. She looked at her hand and happy tears burst form her eyes. He held her tightly in his arms, feeling like the luckiest and the most ecstatic man on the face of the earth.

Nakia was the first one to go hold queen (Y/N), for they had become very good friends after the UN meeting.

After many years of being in an official and royal relationship, Prince T’Challa and Queen (Y/N) got married on a small, Polynesian island, surrounded by their family and closest friends, only months after announcing the engagement. The honeymoon period was long, and it included the places where they runaway love had blossomed.

Prince T’Challa and Queen (Y/N) struggled a lot to be together, but in the first few months of their marriage, they could get to spend a few weeks in each other’s kingdom. The surprise came to (Y/N) when they were at the queen’s homeland, and after being completely certain about it, she called T’Challa to her office. Her hands were shaking, and the tapped the hardwood floor impatiently as she waited the eternal 2 minutes that took her husband from their room to hers.

T’Challa was announced in the queen’s office and she left her paperwork aside; with hurried steps, she took one of the chairs near the desk.

“Is everything alright?” He asked, taking a seat right in front of her. “Did I do something?”

“No, you did not do anything this time,” she replied with a soft smile. “Actually, everything is alright, I just needed a word with you, it’s about these last couple of days, or weeks,” she bit her bottom lip almost apologetically.

“Are you finally going to tell me what’s been going on?”

“Yes, of course,” the queen nodded quickly, “but don’t put it like that,” she pouted childishly. “You make me feel like I’ve been acting completely irrationally. So anyway, I had an idea of what might have happened, a very small suspicion of what it could be, and… I’m very glad to announce that…” the queen gently tugged at her bottom lip in a nervous manner and reached out for T’Challa’s hand, “I am pregnant, darling,” she smiled anxiously, but her husband couldn’t pronounce a single word. “I really hope you’re speechless because you’re too excited to talk,” she hesitantly complained.

“Are we really…?” (Y/N) nodded, feeling a wave of tears blurring her vision. “I love you, (Y/N), I’ve loved you for so long that I didn’t think I could love you more,” he cupped her face in his strong hands. “So, what is it going to be?” He asked in an excited voice.

“My god, it’s still too early to know that,” queen (Y/N) chuckled. “Let’s just hope it’s a gorgeous and healthy baby, right?” T’Challa nodded and held her hands. “You ought to know something first—”

“Is it something bad, or something to do with duties?” (Y/N) nodded guiltily. “We can might as well leave it aside for another… 8 months? More or less? Because all I am going to care about is you, and that baby you have in the oven,”

(Y/N) thanked the gesture by kissing him, the same way she had done a hundred times before when she was only a princess running away from home. It was hard for her to believe that so many years had gone by and that their love remained the same even though they had gone through a change in their identities and the ascension to the throne. It was time to see what future held for them now that the first heir to their thrones was coming.


End file.
